When the original Emergency Shelter in Place order required Kevin’s Nails at the North Shoppes to close, Owner/Operator Jenny Bui got creative and changed her business model to keep the nail technicians working.
“Several of the technicians know how to sew and so we decided we could make face masks,” said Bui. The technicians would continue earning an income and, at the same time, provide much needed safety gear during the COVID-19 crisis.
The change was prompted when customers began calling Bui asking to purchase the masks that the nail technicians typically wore during a manicure. Bui gave those initial customers masks, but when the media started calling and other people asked for masks, she didn’t have the inventory to supply the community. So, she created a new inventory.
The technicians, many of whom were previously seamstresses in their native Vietnam, began producing the handmade masks. Today, Bui and the nail technicians have supplied masks to nursing homes, emergency personnel and Triumph Foods. They are also working on an order for the Noyes Home because they want the children to be safe. If you’d like to purchase a face mask, you may call Jenny Bui at (816) 617-2575. The masks sell for $4 each and they’re reusable and washable.